They are comfortable, so Canadian and are perfect for Covid physical distancing. They are a huge campy set of Muskoka chairs that sit on the waterfront of Brockville Ontario.
Three of these oversized chairs were gifted to the City of Brockville in 2017 by businesses that wanted to give a gift back to the community. The reporting at the time of presentation said we “wish to say a “BIG” THANK-YOU to the community of Brockville…Like our community, the chairs are fun, full of colour, evoke conversation, friendship and support.”
The oversized chairs on Blockhouse Island have proven to be popular with locals and tourists. They are unadorned, and face the views of the St. Lawrence River. And every one of them is occupied in all the seasons by children and passersby. There are a set of stairs with each chair for people to climb into.
The chairs have proven to be so popular that the memorial benches so popular in other cities have turned into other colourful muskoka chair offerings in this park. Even on a cold winter day there are children clamouring on them, and families lined up to be photographed with them.
Fire engine red Muskoka chairs were set up five years ago in the National Parks to provide instagrammable moments as mentioned in this Daily Hive article.
And while Muskoka chairs are named after Ontario cottage country in Canada, Adirondack chairs are more the name in the United States. Apparently there is a difference between Adirondack and Muskoka chairs: “the Adirondack will be 2 inches higher from the ground and measure 2 inches wider between the armrests when compared with its Muskoka chair equivalent… the genuine Adirondack should be constructed with a flat yoke at the back of the seat whereas a purist Muskoka chair should instead be built with a slightly curved yoke”.
And the wonderful yellow chairs in George Wainborn Park on False Creek? Those are steel but on the west coast known as Adirondack chairs in almost every reference. Regardless of their name they are noticeable and iconic, and everyone knows the part of the park that features these chairs. It is the perfect vantage and wayfinding point in every imaginable way.
